Thinking small is big in the world of bonsai

A honeybee stops for a sip from the juicy fruit on the fig tree in Cindy Read’s El Cajon nursery. The moment might seem ordinary except for the amazing fact that the tree is only 6 inches tall.

All of the 100 or so plants in Read’s Kuma Bonsai Nursery are Lilliputian in size. Her diverse specimens include pine, elm, boxwood, azalea and honeysuckle. They range from very tiny to very large, and very young to very old.

“I’ve worked on them all,” Read said of her collection, which represents the centuries-old art of keeping trees and plants diminutive by pruning, training and growing them in small containers. An example of bonsai antiquity is a 387-year-old Japanese White Pine currently “in training” at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

Read welcomes others to join in the popular hobby.

“Working with a bonsai is lots of fun,” she said. “It’s not that scary. If you can grow something in a pot, you can grow a bonsai.”

Today, there are bonsai clubs in every state in the country as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Read offers five steps for bonsai beginners that can turn them into aficionados.

1) Buy a starter plant ($8-$20) from a nursery and check with the staff to be sure it will do well here. “When the local climate doesn’t closely match the climate in which the bonsai was created, the plant will have difficulties surviving and thriving,” Read said. To begin, remove plant from its pot, untangle roots and replant in cactus mix (about $5 for eight cups). Water every day except in winter, when you should water every three days. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Milorganite (about $15 for 36 pounds) every month for a 6-inch pot. Transplant every two years. Bonsai are basically outdoor plants. In winters that freeze, they should be put inside.

2) Read’s bonsai tools include special scissors, wire, wire cutters, and concave and angled plant cutters. “The tools are expensive; they can run from $30 to $125 apiece,” she said. “Eventually, most of them will be needed, but not at first.” Read suggests going online to compare costs, and get advice before buying.

3) Read wires a small branch on a large juniper bonsai, shaping it into the form of a fan. Known as “branch shaping,” the flexible copper wiring ($10 to $14 for 25 feet) that is wrapped around branches and trunks enable the designer to create the desired form. Depending on the plant, it will take six months to several years for the branches to stay in place, allowing the wire to be removed. Clamping, grafting and defoliation are additional procedures used in styling the bonsai.

4) When the KCBQ radio station in Santee was bulldozed several years ago, an 8-foot boxwood hedge went with it. Read collected the leafless stalk and roots and cultivated this large, gnarled bonsai that is her pride and joy. She occasionally brings the tree indoors and displays it prominently for guests to enjoy, but only for a day or two before returning it to the outside.

5) Read’s one-third-acre nursery in El Cajon is packed with bonsai treasures in all stages of growth. Read specializes in California natives and water-wise plants from Australia and South Africa that do well in San Diego’s climate. She also offers a wide assortment of bonsai pots created by Chinese, Japanese and American potters.

Kuma Bonsai Nursery is at 1131 Pepper Drive in El Cajon. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and Saturday and Sunday. Information on bonsai clubs in San Diego County and a bonsai study group for all levels of expertise is also available. Call (619) 258-0469 or (619) 504-5591.